The Plague

     The day before Hell of the South, I received a little present. Shannon had wanted to get me a GoPro camera for Christmas. She sat out the money, but with the break-in, I sat on the money just to make sure we were able to replace all of our stuff. Now that we are fully recovered from the theft, it was time to have a late Christmas gift. The new GoPro HD Hero2 arrived here on Friday, one day before the race. It came just in time for a quick set-up and mount on the bike.

     The camera is much smaller than I expected. We went ahead and ordered all the mounts because I know I will put it everywhere. The guys at GoPro really thought everything out and you can find all the accessories you need. I didn't have much time to play with the mounts before the race. My first idea was to put it on the handlebar, but I was not comfortable with the height of the camera. It looked like it would be in my way during standing. I wasn't willing to chance it in a race, so I put the camera off the front of the bike to where it hung down below the handlebar. I was somewhat pleased with the result. The amount of mounts I had to use to get the camera where I wanted it left the camera hanging quite a ways from the bar. The plastic of the mounts flexed on the rough roads and contorted the picture on the rougher sections, but it is still watchable and has great quality in 1080p.

Camera in its case and hooked onto the seatpost mount

The Outdoor Edition comes with a variety of mounts

Chest mount and harness. this works good for riding or walking.

     I was excited to do Hell of the South, but scared at the same time. The gravel section is always fun, but the length of the race was going to be a problem for me. Since being sick, I haven't felt like I have any endurance. Race distance for the Pro/1/2/3 was 3 laps for a total of 78 miles. The race name makes it seem like a tougher race than it is. The course is rough in places with some scattered potholes. It's mostly chip-and-seal roads with one stretch of gravel just over a half mile in length. The toughest part to me is the constant rolling climbs. You rarely ride a flat stretch.

Hell of the South course map

     I got in a good warm-up and felt pretty good as we got underway. We had a large pack with over 60 riders on narrow roads. I couldn't help but laugh at the official early on. They put us on a road just over a lane wide, with no road paint, and expect a group of 60 to maintain the "centerline rule." Haha yeah. I heard the horn of that motorcycle so many times the first 20 minutes that I thought we were at a Belgian cyclocross race.

Still shot from the GoPro taken very early in the race

     There were a few accelerations the first few miles, but no breaks went until the first fast, twisty section. The biggest challenge was dodging potholes. People were hitting the holes and having flats or destroying wheels. We went onto a road that I hadn't been through before. It was very fast following an initial climb. The climb spread out the group. Then we went into a fast descent that was twisty. I was glad to be single-file because the corners would've been sketchy going 3-wide.

On the rough first climb

Going down a fast, twisty descent on a narrow road

    There were some gaps after the descent. I was too far back and had to work harder than I wanted to rejoin the front group. I was still feeling good as we began a long false flat that led to the gravel section. I was midpack as we approached the gravel for the first time. It's important to be up front entering the gravel for several reasons. Reason 1: everybody tries to kill it in that section. It's their chance to feel like they are in Roubaix. Reason 2: there's a climb as soon as you enter the section and is followed by a rough descent where gaps are sure to happen as people look for smooth lines. Reason 3: there is always the risk of a crash when you throw a little gravel into the mix.

     Reason 3 turned out the be the problem today. There was a crash entering the gravel which caused a big gap in the group. I made it past the crash, but was faced with a big gap as the climb began. I held all my momentum up the climb and bridged the gap. I was onto the back of the lead group as we crested. There were guys on the back that began to let gaps go as soon as the rough descent began. I tried to go around them, but there was really only one line at the bottom that wasn't full of deep gravel. I chose to risk it and ride the deep stuff and was doing fine until a rider to my left lost a water bottle and it found it's way to my back wheel. I shot sideways as I ran it over, but I didn't go down or get any damage on the wheel. It did kill my momentum though, and I fell off the group. My legs were hurt from the first bridge and now I was going to have to do it again.

Crash beginning to happen to the left

Riders down!

About to cross a rut on the gravel climb

Cresting the gravel hill just on the back of the group

Water bottle is loose and on its way to my wheel

Video: The gravel section on lap 1 of the Pro/1/2/3 race at Hell of the South

    I was in no-man's land for a few minutes once back on pavement. A dog ran out in the road, which slowed me down even more. I was eventually joined by a chase group. Suddenly, I had no legs. I got dropped form the chase group. I got into another chase on the next climb. I was able to stay with these guys and we worked well together to keep the group in sight. I thought we might catch on, but then the pack must have taken off again. They were out of sight in just a few seconds and our race looked to be over.

Dog in the road

In a chase group just behind Chris Cundiff

My two chase companions

     There are some bigger rollers near the end of the course. I had nothing left in my legs and was dropped by my two chase companions. I got caught by several smaller groups, but would get dropped each time we hit a climb. I felt bonked after just 16 miles. I rode by myself to the feed zone and stopped. I felt like I had ridden 100 miles, not 23. There was no way I could make two more laps on my own.

Getting in another chase, this time with Andy Reardon and a Krystal rider

     Shannon was waiting in the feed zone and we rode back to the car together. I was really upset. It was my first DNF in over 3 years! I avoid DNFs like the plague. I start every race with the intention of finishing at all costs. But today was unavoidable. I was still clearly feeling the effects of the stomach virus and making the full distance just wasn't going to happen. My body wasn't going to let me. I later learned that the main group missed a turn. By the time they got going right again, all the chasers were able to rejoin. That just shows you that you should never give up, even when all hope seems to be gone.

Masters solo leader comes by

Small group off the front of the main Pro/1/2/3 peloton

The main group

    Here's some highlights from my race taken off the GoPro.

Highlights of the first lap of the Pro/1/2/3 race from my handlebar cam

     Here are some pictures taken at the finish line as the groups sprinted in. There's also a finish line video below.

The two riders dropped out, but it was a good chance to test the photo part of the GoPro. Yes, it can do finish line shots.

Shannon Williams dropping out after 2 laps

Masters overall winner Bill Robison

Robison was the top 45+ rider

John Carr stuck the break with Robison to be the 35+ winner. 

Women finish

Justin Lowe wins the Pro/1/2/3 race

Finish videos from nearly all categories

     After a roller coaster week of feeling questionable, I figured it was best to take a week off and let my body rest to be sure I kicked this virus for good. I spent the week doing some light trail work, piddling in the yard with Shannon and cleaning up trash from around the house. There has been a bunch of trash in the woods surrounding our yard since we moved in. It looks like people have just been throwing things into the woods for years. I found things from the 1950s back there. I found EVERYTHING. And I do mean EVERYTHING. Busted toilets, plastic kiddie swimming pools, old metal pails, aquariums and even a kitchen sink. I've slowly been bagging it up and carrying it off to the disposal. It was driving me crazy!

Shannon watering the seedlings

     Shannon has been cooking up a storm trying to help me get my taste buds back. She has fixed some delicious stuff, but my stomach has been slow to accept food again. Mmm! Sweet potatoes and eggs on a bagel!